The chronic toxicity of inorganic mercury in goats: clinical signs, toxicopathological changes and residual concentrations.

摘要

Chronic mercury toxicity was induced in goats by administering mercuric chloride at 100 鎔/ml in deionized drinking water offered freely for 90 days. Signs of gastrointestinal disturbances and renal dysfunction developed from day 43 without mortality. Other signs included nephrosis and tubular nephritis; centrilobular necrosis of liver; mild to moderate necrosis in spleen, intestine and lymph node; Zenker's degeneration of cardiac muscles; exudative pneumonia; and pial congestion, oedema and vacuolation in the brain. Hyperaemia, oedema and tissue haemorrhages were also found in most of the organs. The kidneys contained the highest residues of mercury, followed by liver, spleen, intestine, lymph node, skeletal muscles, lungs, heart, brain and the omental fat. The intensity of the cytotoxic changes in the different organs was proportional to the amount of mercury accumulated.